With March Madness well behind us, I would hope that most NCAA enthusiasts are fully recovered from the withdrawal that surely followed. Admittedly, I am not much of bracketologist (actual term, by the way), and my March Madness quickly turned to March Sadness when my beloved Lady Boilers lost in the second round of the NCAA Women's tourney. After that, I really didn't care who won as long as it wasn't UNC, Duke, Tennessee, Stanford, Notre Dame, Michigan State, UConn. I'd root for Indiana before any of those teams. In the end, Baylor slammed Notre Dame, so I walked away a happy girl. As a die hard Cubs fan, I am used to saying "Oh well. Next year." While my bracketology skills are a little lacking when it comes to basketball, I have become quite well-versed in the bracketology of orthodontia. Having just surpassed my 2-year anniversary of bracefacefullness, I am hoping that we are now entering the final four. Months, that is.
So, I thought I'd fill this post with some fun facts and simple rules of ethics about these little metallic structures forged at the hands of evil gnomes doomed to a lifetime of sweating it out over a cauldron of molten metal in a cave deep in the belly of the underworld. Alright, a little melodramatic, but so what? It's my blog. Like it or lump it.
Here goes (some of this is from Wikipedia, so take it as you like it):
1. Brace sufferers have Aristotle and Hippocrates to thank (or blame) for our tortuous journeys. These two thinkers extraordinaire apparently did not have enough to think about. They filled up part of their day pondering how to straighten crooked teeth. Thank goodness we've come a long way, baby, as the thought of having catgut in my mouth sounds less appealing than eating fish eggs, fish eggs, roly-poly fish eggs.
2. Speaking of catgut, it can also come from sheep, goat, hogs, horses, mules or donkeys. For the full selection of your favorite sinewy innards linings, watch for the fall catalog.
3. But, I digress.
4. Brace bracketology really got rolling in the 18th century, when iron wires were used to straighten teeth. Apparently, they were subject to rusting, a problem that could be alleviated by eating grapes.
5. The first school of Orthodontics was started in the 20th century by a man named Angle.
6. Please do not confuse braces with brackets or with parentheses. What the?
7. I officially do not like this guy. Thanks for the memories, dude.
8. Who knew? The Orthodontia to Art connection: Braces and brackets for stretching canvasses. I've done this, by the way, and as an artist, it is quite a satisfying experience to stretch your own canvas.
9. I still think it is a little awkward that braces, brackets and wires fall under the umbrella terms of "Orthodontic hardware" or "Orthodontic appliances." More evidence to support my hypothesis that all orthodontists secretly wanted to be demolition engineers.
10. Any complaints from Invisalign wearers are rendered moot by the fact that Invisalign wearers are brace posers who should just Shut. It.
Cheers!
